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Inside world’s top science society’s convention bashing Trump, pushing DEI, pronouns: ‘Felt like a funeral’

One of the world’s largest and most influential scientific societies held its annual conference last weekend, which a Fox News Digital review found was littered with examples of progressive messaging, criticisms of the Trump administration, and ‘woke’ workshops.

Attendees who showed up at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) event, held at the Phoenix Convention Center from Feb. 12-14, were immediately greeted at registration with identifier stickers that used gender pronouns such as ‘they/them,’ ‘xi/xer,’ ‘xe/xem,’ and other descriptors that critics have alleged have little to do with science and biology.

During the meeting’s opening night, shortly after a 10-minute hoop dance routine from traditional Native American dancers, AAAS CEO Dr. Sudip Parikh told the audience that it’s been a ‘hard’ and ‘tough year for science and scientists in this country.’

Parikh went on to blame DOGE for the ‘devastation’ of ‘some of our science agencies’ and the ‘president’s budget request’ that ‘cut science by half’ and, in his opinion, amounted to ‘forfeiting the future.’

‘What happened over the course of the last year is a rupture. We’re not going back, it’s not possible, too much damage has been done, too much has changed. There’s an entire generation of scientists that have a scar, a scar that is not going to go away,’ Parikh explained, adding that scars can ‘make us tougher’ and ‘become almost shields’ that ‘build resilience.’

Parikh told the crowd that he warned last year that Robert F. Kennedy Jr was the ‘wrong person’ for Health and Human Services secretary and said, ‘I still feel that way,’ which prompted laughter and applause from the crowd.

‘It’s going to take protests, it’s going to take politics, it’s going to take the ability to not speak gibberish, all of that has got to come together if we’re going to fight for the inheritance of the enlightenment to continue to make this world a better place,’ Parikh said.

Workshops at the event, which provided gender-neutral washrooms, included a session titled ‘Mao-Mei Liu: Nurturing Diversity in Science is Resistance,’ and another called ‘Investigating the Role of Race in Clinical Decision-Making.’

‘Who Gets to Belong? Disability, Power, and Participation in Higher Education,’ another workshop was called. 

Dr. Theresa A. Maldonado, a world-renowned expert in electrical engineering, delivered the president’s address at the conference and also lamented what a difficult year 2025 was for science and suggested climate change was responsible for the devastating southern California wildfires last year.

AAAS, the publisher of the highly respected Science magazine, posted several more videos over the course of the next few days, many including speakers who criticized the Trump administration and injected politics into discussions. 

‘Colonial Legacies, Climate Crises, and the Erosion of Mobility Choice’ was another workshop that scientists at the conference were offered and in an interview with ‘climate justice scholar’ Jola Ajibade, she explained how climate change has benefited a ‘few wealthy people’ while ‘low-income communities are displaced.’

‘At the center of my work is giving a voice but also bringing to the attention of everyone the impact of a slew of climate solutions, the impact of those solutions on low-income communities, on Black communities, on indigenous, on Latino communities as well,’ Ajibade explained, adding that she is focused on finding a ‘decolonial’ approach. 

Listed sponsors of the event included the Science Philanthropy Alliance, a group tied to the progressive consulting behemoth Arabella Advisors through the New Venture Fund, a nonprofit that pushes a variety of progressive causes. 

‘The whole thing that is sad for me is that when I attended these conferences in the first Trump administration there was plenty of liberal nonsense, but it still was a celebration of science and the achievements of the year, and you left excited,’ an event attendee told Fox News Digital.

‘This year felt like a funeral, with nothing but griping and moaning. Why would people want to keep coming back year after year with something like that? I suspect that is why their attendance greatly suffered this year compared to the pre-COVID years. Their constant pleas to keep politics out of science are completely undercut by their perpetual whining and endorsing utter craziness. They’re happy for science to be political, as long as it’s leftist.’

Additionally, as lawmakers in the United States continue to warn about the growing threat posed by China and what they believe is the CCP’s infiltration of top institutions in the United States — particularly in the medical and science fields — the AAAS conference opted to allow the Beijing-based research institute Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) to operate a booth at the event. 

The state-run Chinese academy, which has faced controversy over its ties to China’s government and military, has collaborated with a Chinese medical technology firm linked to a 2013 U.S. bribery case involving NIH-funded research. The company has also installed equipment in leading American research labs.

‘The AAAS says that their organization wants to ‘inspire’ future scientists and engineers, but session topics and material from their meeting actually discourage participants from relying on their effort and merit and turns the focus to race and ethnicity,’ Johnathan Butcher, acting director of the Center for Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital. 

‘These are the very same kind of racist ideas inspired by DEI that have been prohibited in universities, state governments, and the federal government, because the ideas violate state and federal civil rights laws,’ Butcher added. ‘Policymakers should be aware of what this organization is doing and make sure the association is not promoting racial preferences in hiring, promotion or research awards in academia or anywhere else.’

In a statement to Fox News Digital, an AAAS spokesperson said, ‘A broad spectrum of the scientific enterprise attends the meeting. The topics covered were wide-ranging across scientific disciplines and are proposed by scientists. AAAS respects their First Amendment right to free speech.’

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How did Jeffrey Epstein get rich? Meet Les Wexner, the ex-Victoria’s Secret CEO who once worked with him

An 88-year-old billionaire businessman and former Victoria’s Secret chief is the latest person to fall within the House Oversight Committee’s investigative crosshairs.

The crimes of late billionaire sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein are well-known, having gained new media attention in recent months after Congress forced the Department of Justice (DOJ) to disclose millions of pages of documents.

But less is known about the figures who operated within Epstein’s orbit and how they helped him get the vast international sphere of influence he enjoyed before finding himself in a Manhattan jail awaiting trial, where he killed himself in 2019.

Leslie ‘Les’ Wexner, founder of L Brands, the former chief of Victoria’s Secret, is one of those figures, having been named a co-conspirator of Epstein in a recently uncovered FBI document from 2019.

Wexner is the founder of L Brands, formerly known as The Limited, which included Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, and Pink. He also helped found Abercrombie & Fitch, a clothing brand that was once popular among teens in the U.S.

Wexner has never been charged with crimes related to the late financier, and a spokesperson for the mogul told Fox News Digital that the ‘Assistant U.S. Attorney told Mr. Wexner’s legal counsel in 2019 that Mr. Wexner was neither a co-conspirator nor target in any respect.’ 

But documents released by the DOJ allege that Wexner was one of the key players in how Epstein built his wealth and later ran his illicit empire.

One file from 2013 that appears to have been in the possession of the Southern District of New York (SDNY) titled ‘Jeffrey Epstein Source of Wealth,’ said Wexner ‘became a well-known client’ of Epstein’s financial management firm in 1987.

At the time, Wexner was identified as the founder and chairman of the Ohio-based women’s clothing brand The Limited.

‘Since all but one of his financial clients are anonymous, it has been speculated that much of Epstein’s lavish lifestyle was once financed by Wexner,’ reads the document, which appears to be an email. Wexner’s spokesperson declined to comment on the allegations.

That paper also noted that Wexner sold his massive Manhattan townhouse — reported to be the largest private residence in the New York City borough — to Epstein.

A 2019 FBI witness statement from a man who purported to be Wexner’s bodyguard from 1991 to 1992 said Wexner ‘sold his mansion in New York to Epstein for $20.’

The same witness statement alleged that ‘Epstein got all of his money from Wexner.’

A 1998 document obtained by Fox News Digital, however, shows Wexner sold his home to Epstein for a $20 million price tag. Half was paid via cashier’s check, while the other half was covered by a promissory note, the record shows.

Epstein’s Manhattan mansion was raided by the FBI in July 2019 as part of the federal sex trafficking investigation. There, law enforcement officials found vast troves of evidence, including photos of partially or fully nude women and girls, including ones who appeared to be minors.

The DOJ’s unsealed indictment against Epstein also said it was one of the places where he ‘enticed and recruited, and caused to be enticed and recruited, dozens of minor girls… to engage in sex acts with him, after which he would give the victims hundreds of dollars in cash.’

Wexner reportedly bought the mansion in 1989 for $13.2 million before selling it to a corporation partially controlled by Epstein for an ‘undisclosed amount,’ according to Business Insider. It was then reportedly transferred to a U.S. Virgin Islands-based company controlled by Epstein for $0 in 2011.

The home was reportedly valued at $77 million at the time of the raid, making it a massive portion of Epstein’s wealth.

A heavily redacted email chain from July 2025 that appears to show witness statement summaries, with the subject line, ‘RE: Epstein – Cellmate Interview,’ also said, ‘Steve Scully stated Wexner was #1 on Epstein’s speed dial.’

Steve Scully appears to be a reference to a former IT contractor who lived and worked on Epstein’s private island of Little St. James from 1999 through 2005. Wexner’s spokesperson declined to comment on Scully’s claim.

Wexner even signed a document in 1991 giving Epstein vast control over his finances via power of attorney, according to the New York Times. That document gave Epstein the power to sign checks, borrow money, and buy or sell real estate on Wexner’s behalf, the report said.

A letter Wexner wrote to his nonprofit, the Wexner Foundation, in August 2019 said that while he did give power of attorney to Epstein, their relationship ended soon after the 2007 federal investigation first began into the late financier in Florida.

‘[B]y early fall 2007, it was agreed that he should step back from the management of our personal finances. In that process, we discovered that he had misappropriated vast sums of money from me and my family. This was, frankly, a tremendous shock, even though it clearly pales in comparison to the unthinkable allegations against him now,’ the letter said.

‘With his credibility and our trust in him destroyed, we immediately severed ties with him. We were able to recover some of the funds. The widely reported payments Mr. Epstein made to the charitable fund represented a portion of the returned monies. All of that money — every dollar of it — was originally Wexner family money.’

But other documents released by the DOJ allege that Epstein and Wexner’s relationship went further than financial management.

An FBI witness statement by Robert Morosky, a former executive for Wexner’s fashion brand, said, ‘He had information regarding the use of ‘Limited’ brand aircraft used in the 1990s to transport young girls from Mexico to the U.S.’

‘Morosky did not wish to give any additional information at that time; however if someone would like to pursue this information he could be reached on his personal cellular phone,’’ the statement said.

It’s unclear if the lead was ever pursued, but a spokesperson for Wexner told Fox News Digital, ‘The allegation is false. Mr. Morosky was terminated from the company in 1987 and therefore in no position to know anything about the use of Limited planes in the 1990s.’

A witness statement from 2020, with the identity of the female witness redacted, said she claimed to have ‘often’ seen Epstein and Wexner together.

She ‘stated that often Wexner would have models who could not have been over 18 years old do private viewings for him and Epstein. She said the models would be wearing [swimsuits] and some were in lingerie,’ the document read.

Wexner’s spokesperson declined to comment on those claims and called her account of seeing the pair together ‘vague.’

The female witness said she ‘would help with getting people to work at parties at Wexner’s compound in catering and other positions,’ and that ‘anyone who went to work there had to have a full background check and there were certain areas of the house where they could not go without an approved escort.’

However, there was no indication of what years or period of time her claims are focused on.

A source with knowledge of company procedures argued the situation could not have happened, however. Model fittings always involved teams of 15 to 20 professionals and Epstein was never a part of that, the source maintained.

Wexner is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee in Ohio on Wednesday morning.

Fox News Digital reached out to Wexner’s attorney for comment on the deposition and on the aforementioned claims.

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Olympics figure skating results: Team USA women begin short program

MILAN — The night started with promise and hope for the U.S. women’s figure skating team.

The trio of ‘Blade Angels’ — close friends Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito — had enchanted fans in the lead-up to the 2026 Winter Olympics with their camaraderie and determination to do things their own way.

They also represented the Americans’ best chance at ending a 20-year Olympic medal drought. But expectations shifted after the short program on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

Liu was the first American to take the ice, the opening skater in the fifth and final group. The reigning world champion turned in an exceptional program, one good enough to earn her a season-best score (76.59) and put her in third place.

One skater later, Levito turned in a clean routine, putting her in eighth place (70.84) and marking her Olympic debut in front of her mother’s hometown crowd.

But competing second to last of the 29 skaters, Glenn had a painful performance, one that had started with a strong triple axel, but unraveled two elements later when she bailed on a triple loop, resulting in zero points on an invalidated element and landing her in 13th place (67.39).

‘I don’t know what happened, I had it,’ Glenn, who was clearly distraught by her outing, could be heard saying in the Kiss-and-Cry.

“She’s gone through so much, and she works so freaking hard,’ Liu said of Glenn. ‘Genuinely, such a hard worker, and she’s overcome a lot, and I just want her to be happy, that’s genuinely all I want.’

Now, Liu stands alone as USA’s best chance at a medal. If she pulls it off, she would become the first American woman since Sasha Cohen took silver in 2006. But she has to overcome Japan’s Ami Nakai and Kaori Sakamoto, who are in first and second, respectively.

“It doesn’t change how I did,’ Liu said of her place in the standings. ‘I mean, I’d hope it doesn’t change how people view my performance, either.”

Alysa Liu’s short program

Alysa Liu is back on figure skating ice at the Winter Olympics, and she’s doing it her way, on the path to gold.

The 20-year-old delivered a beautiful short program from start to finish, highlighted by a pristine triple lutz + triple loop combination. By the time she was done with the program, her coaches were celebrating and she held her hands to her face, seemingly shocked by how well she did. The routine for Liu is an emotional one, set to the song ‘Promise’ by Laufey.

Liu scored a season-best 76.59, good enough for third place. It was a much cleaner showing than her short program in the team competition, when she scored a 74.90.

“It doesn’t change how I did,’ Liu said on being in third place. ‘I mean, I’d hope it doesn’t change how people view my performance, either.”

Amber Glenn’s short program

The 26-year-old opened her short program with an impressive triple axel that earned 10.06 points, about a third of a point higher than the only other triple axel executed on the night. (Japan’s Ami Nakai, who is in first place, landed one for 9.71 points).

But Glenn bailed on a triple loop two elements later, which invalidated it and resulted in a program score of 67.39, dropping her to 13th place. The three-time reigning U.S. champion knew it when she finished her routine at center ice and in the Kiss-and-Cry section awaiting her score. She grimaced. She put her left hand on her chest. She breathed heavily.

‘I don’t know what happened, I had it,’ she could be heard saying in the Kiss-and-Cry.

When her score was read out, she tried to keep it together, flashing a heart sign and double wave to the camera. But seconds later, she dropped her head in her hands and cried, her coach Damon Allen rubbing her back. She sat there the first few moments of Mone Chiba’s performance, distraught, before putting her skate guards on and walking off into the tunnel.

Isabeau Levito’s short program

In her mother’s hometown, Isabeau Levito made her Winter Olympics debut. The former U.S. champion finished her short program with a score of 70.84, putting her in eighth place entering the free skate. Levito’s performance included two songs: ‘Almost in Your Arms’ by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston and ‘zou bisou bisou’ by Bill Shepherd and Alan Tew.

Women’s short program figure skating results

Here are standings after the women’s short program.

  1. Ami Nakai (Japan): 78.71 total segment score, 45.02 technical elements score, 33.69 program components score.
  2. Kaori Sakamoto (Japan): 77.23 total segment score, 40.08 technical elements score, 37.15 program components score.
  3. Alysa Liu (USA): 76.59 total segment score, 41.34 technical elements score, 35.25 program components score.
  4. Mone Chiba (Japan): 67.39 total segment score, 34.19 technical elements score, 33.20 program components score.
  5. Adeliia Petrosian (Neutral Athlete): 72.89 total segment score, 40.44 technical elements score, 32.45 program components score.
  6. Anastasiia Gubanova (Georgia): 71.77 total segment score, 38.28 technical elements score, 33.49 program components score.
  7. Loena Hendrickx (Belgium): 70.93 total segment score, 36.92 technical elements score, 34.01 program components score.
  8. Isabeau Levito (USA): 70.84 total segment score, 36.77 technical elements score, 34.07 program components score.
  9. Haein Lee (Korea): 70.07 total segment score, 37.61 technical elements score, 32.46 program components score.
  10. Niina Petrokina (Estonia): 69.63 total segment score, 36.80 technical elements score, 32.83 program components score.
  11. Nina Pinzarrone (Belgium): 68.97 total segment score, 36.86 technical elements score, 32.11 program components score.
  12. Sofia Samodelkina (Kazakhstan): 68.47 total segment score, 36.42 technical elements score, 32.05 program components score.
  13. Amber Glenn (USA): 67.39 total segment score, 34.19 technical elements score, 33.20 program components score.
  14. Jia Shin (Korea): 65.66 total segment score, 35.79 technical elements score, 30.87 program components score.
  15. Iida Karhunen (Finland): 65.06 total segment score, 36.22 technical elements score, 28.84 program components score.
  16. Julia Sauter (Romania): 63.13 total segment score, 34.15 technical elements score, 28.98 program components score.
  17. Olga Mikutina (Austria): 61.72 total segment score, 32.64 technical elements score, 29.08 program components score.
  18. Lara Naki Gutmann (Italy): 61.56 total segment score, 29.50 technical elements score, 32.06 program components score.
  19. Ekaterina Kurakova (Poland): 60.14 total segment score, 31.56 technical elements score, 28.58 program components score.
  20. Ruiyang Zhang (China): 59.38 total segment score, 32.64 technical elements score, 26.74 program components score.
  21. Kimmy Repond (Switzerland): 59.20 total segment score, 29.84 technical elements score, 29.36 program components score.
  22. Mariia Seniuk (Israel): 58.61 total segment score, 32.15 technical elements score, 26.46 program components score.
  23. Livia Kaiser (Switzerland): 55.69 total segment score, 30.62 technical elements score, 26.07 program components score.
  24. Lorine Schild (France): 55.63 total segment score, 29.32 technical elements score, 26.31 program components score.
  25. Madeline Schizas (Canada): 55.38 total segment score, 26.39 technical elements score, 28.99 program components score.
  26. Viktoriia Safonova (Neutral Athlete): 54.57 total segment score, 29.15 technical elements score, 25.42 program components score.
  27. Meda Variakojyte (Lithuania): 53.86 total segment score, 29.77 technical elements score, 24.09 program components score.
  28. Alexandra Feigin (Bulgaria): 53.42 total segment score, 28.77 technical elements score, 24.65 program components score.
  29. Kristen Spours (Great Britain): 45.54 total segment score, 21.55 technical elements score, 23.99 program components score.

Amber Glenn’s music

Glenn skated her short program to Madonna’s ‘Like A Prayer.’

“Absolutely incredible,’ Glenn said of getting ready to skate to Madonna at the Games. ‘And I’ve already had a moment that I’ve never experienced in figure skating at nationals with this program. So I’m hoping today I can just really enjoy it for myself and everyone at home can enjoy it, too.”

AIN at Olympics? It’s not a country

Officially, Russia is banned from the Olympics because Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. At the 2026 Winter Games in Milano Cortina, there will be no Russian flags, no Russian anthems and no Russian national colors incoporated in the competition. (The same holds true for Belarus, which has supported Russia in the war.)

But there will be athletes with Russian and Belarussian passports competing as ‘Individual Neutral Athletes,’ or AINs for short, if they meet specific conditions. That contingent will include 13 Russians and seven Belarussians, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Jan. 29. Read the full explainer about AIN. — Josh Peter

Japan’s Ami Nakai comes out hot

The women’s competition feels like it’s going to come down to the Americans and the Japanese, and Ami Nakai took the first big swing. The 17-year-old started off with a clean triple Axel and only got better from there, putting up a strong performance to start the fourth of five groups. She got a score of 78.71, a season-best to put her in the lead.

Snoop Dogg at figure skating

His Winter Olympics tour continues.

How is figure skating scored?

A figure skating routine is made up of two scores: Technical elements score and program components score. The technical elements score is exactly what it sounds like: It’s for the jumps, spins and step sequences in a performance. The program components score is made of up composition, presentation and skating skills.

Figure skating Olympics winners list

Here is who has medaled in women’s singles figure skating over the last four decades.

  • 2022: ROC’s Anna Shcherbakova (gold), ROC’s Aleksandra Trusova (silver), Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto (bronze)
  • 2018: ROC’s Alina Zagitova (gold), ROC’s Yevgeniya Medvedeva (silver), Canada’s Kaetlyn Osmond (bronze)
  • 2014: Russia’s Adelina Sotnikova (gold), Korea’s Yu-Na Kim (silver), Italy’s Carolina Kostner (bronze)
  • 2010: Korea’s Yu-Na Kim (gold), Japan’s Mao Asada (silver), Canada’s Joannie Rochette (bronze)
  • 2006: Japan’s Shizuka Arakawa (gold), USA’s Sasha Cohen (silver), Russia’s Irina Slutskaya (bronze)
  • 2002: USA’s Sarah Hughes (gold), Russia’s Irina Slutskaya (silver), USA’s Michelle Kwan (bronze)
  • 1998: USA’s Tara Lipinski (gold), USA’s Michelle Kwan (silver), China’s Chen Lu (bronze)
  • 1994: Ukraine’s Oksana Baiul (gold), USA’s Nancy Kerrigan (silver), China’s Chen Lu (bronze)
  • 1992: USA’s Kristi Yamaguchi (gold), Japan’s Midori Ito (silver), USA’s Nancy Kerrigan (bronze)
  • 1988: East Germany’s Katarina Witt (gold), Canada’s Elizabeth Manley (silver), USA’s Debi Thomas (bronze)
  • 1984: East Germany’s Katarina Witt (gold), USA’s Rosalynn Sumners (silver), USSR’s Kira Ivanova (bronze)

Blade Angels of USA figure skating

It’s time for the ‘Blade Angels’ of the United States of America to take the figure skating ice.

Some of the most popular Team USA athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympics − Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito − open their pursuit for individual gold with women’s short program on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Not only are they some of the best skaters in the world, but they have also captivated the nation for their pure appreciation and love for each other, which features plenty of fun and chaos sprinkled in.

So what exactly is the story of the ‘Blade Angels’? It’s a friendship that has been building for years, and is flourishing in the Olympic spotlight.

Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu on their friendship

USA TODAY Sports’ Jordan Mendoza spoke to Amber Glenn and Alysa Liu on the tight friendship they have formed. Here’s what they said.

What Liu said about Glenn: “She’s just such a big sister to me. The idea that we compete against each other, it’s so weird to me. I really just see her as one of my friends and truly one of my teammates. I don’t know, doing things with her is really fun.”

When Glenn said about Liu: “It’s been great to have someone that has such a positive outlook on skating and on her career around me. And then on the flip side, I have an extra pair of tights if she rips them and doesn’t have a backup, or I have the schedule ready because she doesn’t have it.”

Figure skating jump types

  • Toe jump: A skater drives the toe pick of their non-takeoff foot into the ice to launch themselves into the air and generate momentum into the jump.
    • Toe loop: A skater takes off backward and lands on the same back edge of their blade.
    • Lutz: A skater moving backward jumps off the back outside edge of their skate and uses the toe-pick of their other skate to catapult into the air in the opposite direction and lands on the back outside edge of the picking leg.
    • Flip: A skater launches off the back inside edge of one skate and lands on the back outside edge of the other skate.
  • Edge jump: A skater takes off not with their toe pick but off the edge of their skate.
    • Salchow: A skater launches off the back inside edge of one skate and lands on the back outside edge of their other skate.
    • Axel: The only forward-facing jump, a skater lands on the back outside edge of their non-takeoff foot while traveling backward. The axel is the hardest jump because of the extra half-revolution that comes with a forward takeoff and a backward landing.
    • Loop: The skater jumps off a back outside edge of their skate and lands on the same edge.

Facts about figure skating

Athleticism meets grace in figure skating, one of the most popular sports at the Winter Olympics. Whether skaters are performing gravity-defying jumps or experiencing a wide array of emotions in the designated ‘Kiss and Cry’ area, figure skating has captivated Olympic audiences across the world for more than a century. The 2026 Milano Cortina Games will be no different.

Here’s everything you need to know about figure skating and how it works at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Get our Chasing Gold Olympics newsletter in your inbox for coverage of your favorite Team USA athletes

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Tiger Woods gives positive injury update. Could he play 2026 Masters?

Tiger Woods could be eyeing a return to competitive golf in time for The Masters in 2026.

Woods gave a mostly positive assessment during his latest injury update while speaking to reporters about a variety of topics on Tuesday, Feb. 17, ahead of this week’s Genesis Invitational, the annual PGA Tour event he hosts in Southern California. The 50-year-old golfer said he’s back to hitting full shots, discussed the potential of debuting on the PGA Champions Tour this season and did not shut down questions about teeing up at Augusta National in less than two months.

‘No,’ Woods said with a sly smile when asked if playing in The Masters in April is off the table, according to Golfweek.

Woods did not give a target date for his return. The five-time Masters champion hasn’t competed on the PGA Tour since the 2024 Open Championship.

Woods was last scheduled to play on the PGA Tour in the Genesis Invitational in February 2025, but withdrew from the field before the tournament started after his mother died. He then ruptured his Achilles in March while training and practicing at home. He underwent the seventh back surgery of his career last October.

“It’s just sore. It takes time. Willy Z went through it, and it took him a while to come back,” Woods said Tuesday, referring to 29-year-old PGA Tour golfer Will Zalatoris, who underwent his own back surgery last year and returned to action late last season. “I’m a little bit older than Willy Z. It’s probably going to take me a little bit longer. My body has been through a lot.”

Added Woods: “It’s just one of those things where it’s each and every day, I keep trying, I keep progressing, I keep working on it, trying to get stronger, trying to get more endurance in this body and trying to get it at a level at which I can play at the highest level again. The quality of life was better back then because it was just new. It was my first operation, so I’ve had many operations since then, so body has been through a little bit more.” 

Woods can prepare for The Masters this year by playing on the PGA Champions Tour, which permits players to use a cart. He could potentially make his debut on the over-50 circuit at one of three events in March – the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational in Boca Raton, Florida, the Cologuard Classic in Tucson, Arizona or the Hoag Classic in Newport Beach, California – if he wanted to play in a tournament before The 2026 Masters begin on April 9.

“It’s challenging, and now I entered a new decade, so that number is starting to sink in and has us thinking about the opportunity to be able to play in a cart,’ Woods said. ‘That’s something that, as I said, I won’t do out here on this (PGA) Tour because I don’t believe in it. But on the Champions Tour, there’s certainly that opportunity.” 

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Iowa State AD: ‘Conflicts,’ ‘challenges’ preceded gymnastics season’s cancellation

  • Iowa State’s athletics director cited ‘unreconcilable differences’ between athletes, coaches, and parents for the gymnastics season’s cancellation.
  • The athletics director’s letter acknowledged recurring conflicts within the program, raising concerns about its long-term viability.
  • Previous statements from the university attributed the cancellation to safety concerns, injuries, and other health issues.

In a letter to Cyclone gymnasts and their families, Iowa State’s athletics director said the school canceled its gymnastics season due to ‘unreconcilable differences’ between athletes, coaches and parents.

The Feb. 17 letter, obtained by USA TODAY Sports Network, came from ISU athletics director Jamie Pollard and addressed to ‘Women’s Gymnastics Student-Athletes & Families.’ In it, Pollard discusses why Iowa State canceled its gymnastics season on Feb. 8 and acknowledges — but does not alleviate — fears about the program’s viability.

‘The decision to suspend the season resulted from a series of complex internal conflicts between individual teammates, coaching staff members, and parents,’ Pollard wrote. ‘These conflicts created unreconcilable differences that not only prevented our team from competing, but they also prevented team members from carrying on their daily activities, including practice. In the end, suspending the remainder of the season was the only viable alternative.’

Pollard’s letter was sent hours after USA TODAY Sports Network published a story describing gymnasts’ and alumni’s anxiety about the season’s cancellation.

Iowa State’s previous public statements about the cancellation, attributed to senior associate athletics director Shamaree Brown and athletics department spokesman Nick Joos, did not specify a reason for the cancellation beyond safety concerns.

“After a careful and thoughtful review of the program over the last week, it became apparent that we do not have enough student-athletes available to safely compete, and thus have made the painful decision to cancel the remainder of our gymnastics season,” Brown said in a statement released by the school Feb. 8.

On Feb. 9, Joos said in an email to USA TODAY Sports Network that the reason for the cancellation was a ‘combination of injuries and other health issues that have impeded the ability to train and compete for multiple athletes.’

In the Feb. 17 letter, on official Iowa State letterhead, Pollard describes an environment of recurring conflict within the gymnastics program over an unspecified time period.

‘We also realize many of you have a concern about what this means for the long term viability of gymnastics at Iowa State University. We share that same concern,’ Pollard wrote. ‘Unfortunately, conflicts within our gymnastics team are not new. Comparable challenges have occurred multiple times in our program’s history.

‘Providing all our student-athletes with a positive, healthy, and supportive experience is at the core of our athletic program’s mission. Unfortunately, gymnastics is the only one of our 18 sports that has exhibited this type of recurring conflict. The fact it has happened multiple times, over an extended period, raises serious questions.’

Pollard wrote that Iowa State is working to address concerns about eligibility, the transfer portal and access to training. He said that Cyclone gymnasts will continue to have access to the school’s athletics trainers, strength coaches, academic support, mental health and nutrition specialists.

‘We will continue to analyze and evaluate the root cause of these continual issues with the members of our support staff that work daily with our student athletes,’ Pollard wrote. ‘Our goal is to understand what is preventing our gymnastics program from providing the type of experience we expect for every Cyclone student-athlete and to determine how best to move forward.’

Since the season’s cancellation, Iowa State has closed its gymnastics facilities to athletes because of ‘concerns that were raised,’ according to Brown. Gymnasts are training at private gyms, but being forced to coordinate schedules to work around an NCAA rule that says no more than two of them can practice together at the same time.

Iowa State administrators have been vague when questioned about whether the gymnastics program is in danger of being cut.

On Feb. 16, asked by USA TODAY Sports Network if there have been discussions about eliminating gymnastics, Brown responded in an email, ‘Our priority has remained on supporting the gymnasts in the aftermath of this decision, and we have not shifted our focus away from ensuring they continue to receive the care and resources they need.’

Iowa State head coach Ashley Miles Greig and members of her coaching staff are not mentioned by name in Pollard’s letter. On Feb. 16, Brown told USA TODAY Sports Network that the gymnastics coaching staff remained employed.

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Mysterious Russian figure skater Adeliia Petrosian is Olympic medal contender

MILAN — Adeliia Petrosian is called an Individual Neutral Athlete at these Olympic Games, but she’s Russian through and through. She was born and raised in Moscow. She is the three-time Russian national champion and is her country’s only hope to win a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal in women’s figure skating.

To the international figure skating world, the sole Russian female skater allowed at the Winter Olympics is a bit of a mystery. Because her nation has been banned from competing worldwide since its invasion of Ukraine, this is the first time most of her competitors are seeing her in person. 

That said, most of them missed her during Tuesday night’s short program. They weren’t even in the arena when she took the ice. Petrosian, 18, was forced to skate second out of 29 skaters in the short program because she has not competed internationally and thus has no worldwide results or resume. 

She came onto the ice as some spectators were still finding their seats, but skated a clean short program that received a strong score of 72.89. For two and a half hours, she held the lead, until Japan’s 17-year-old wunderkind, Ami Nakai, grabbed it away with a delightful performance highlighted by a spectacular triple axel. Petrosian ended up fifth in the short program. 

After she skated, Petrosian said it was the ‘most important skate of my life.’ She said she was pleased to get the nervy short program out of the way early. ‘It’s actually an advantage because you’re done earlier and you have more time to rest.’

Asked if she was going to stay in the arena and watch the other skaters over the next several hours, she said she was heading back to the apartment she and her mother are staying in to watch the competition on the live stream. The apartment is convenient; she occasionally walks back after practice.

So now she turns her attention to Thursday’s long program. While she said she is not practicing her triple axel, she also said she wanted to keep her plans for a triple axel or a quadruple jump ‘a secret because I never tell about my program.’

She also said she hadn’t seen favorites like Alysa Liu and Kaori Sakamoto yet at the Games because they were in other practice groups. But that now will change when they skate in the long program Thursday, Feb. 19.

‘I hope to be with them in the same warmup,” she said, hours before she found out she was, ‘and then to really compete with them.’

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Malinin reveals big stars offered him support after free skate disaster

Ilia Malinin continued his media tour at the 2026 Winter Olympics Tuesday, Feb. 17 with a stop with NBC’s Mike Tirico.

In the interview, which aired during a break in NBC’s coverage of figure skating’s women’s short program, Malinin said it’s been an ‘up and down’ last few days for him since his disastrous performance in the men’s free skate Feb. 13 that saw him lose the chance to a second Olympic gold medal with Team USA.

He also disclosed that he’s received a handful of texts and calls from several decorated athletes, like Simone Biles and Tom Brady. Snoop Dogg also reached out.

‘It’s honestly been a lot of ups and downs, and of course, following the free skate, it was a little hard at first and trying to realize what happened and how devastating it really was. But looking back at it, I got so much love, so much support, and everyone was there for me, had so many different people reach out to me,’ Malinin said.

‘Tom Brady, Steph Curry, Biles, Snoop. I’m honestly just so honored for that and I feel like it just made my day, honestly.’

Both Biles and Brady have been spotted in Milan during the 2026 Winter Games, including in the figure skating arena. Biles, who has won 11 Olympic gymnastics medals during her illustrious career, stood and applauded Malinin with her husband, NFL safety Jonathan Owens as the first-time Olympian struggled through his free skate performance

Malinin also disclosed that after giving himself a day, he did look at the influx of support messages that he received on social media following his short program.

‘I gave myself one day just to kind of be in my own zone, be in my own space, but after that, I kind of just went online, see what people say, and a lot of positive messages, a lot of just love, a lot of just support…,’ Malinin said. ‘It just really hit me and it’s a reason why I love this sport so much because no matter what happens, it doesn’t define who you are as a person. And I think everyone realized that that night and I’m just super grateful to have the support from my team, my fans, my parents, who are also my coaches, and it’s just wonderful.’

The 21-year-old entered the free skate in first place in the men’s singles event, but a few falls and mistakes during his free skate program dropped him all the way down to eighth overall, a shocking result for the ‘Quad God.’

‘It’s definitely something that will help me not feel the worst from my Olympic experience, and really just shows how grateful I should be for even stepping on the ice for that team event,’ Malinin said on helping lead Team USA to gold in the team event. ‘It was something that I was not sure that I was going to do, but making the decision pretty close to the deadline. I am so grateful that me and all the other teammates we fought and put so much energy, all of it into that game, and it’s what gave us this gold medal, and I’m never going to forget that.’

USA TODAY Sports’ Cydney Henderson contributed to this story.

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USA, Sweden to meet in men’s hockey quarterfinal: What to expect

MILAN – The USA men’s hockey team put themselves in a good position during preliminary play only to face the toughest possible opponent in the quarterfinals.

In order to keep going at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Americans will have to go through Sweden on Feb. 18 at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. That matchup was set on Tuesday, when Sweden defeated Latvia 5-1.

‘They’re one of the powerhouses in the world, they’ve been playing really well this tournament,’ USA alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk said. ‘I think every single player plays in the NHL so we’re very familiar with a lot of those players, a lot of guys play with guys, play against them all the time. Just a very deep team top to bottom.’

USA coach Mike Sullivan said that ‘we’re very well aware of the personnel group that they have. And they’re a really good team.’

The other quarterfinals are Canada against Czechia, Slovakia against Germany, and Finland against Switzerland. The Swedes ended up having to play a qualification game on Tuesday after finishing as the seventh seed following round-robin group play.

The Swedes are loaded with NHL players, but haven’t looked in sync at the Olympics, coasting through a victory against Italy (which left the tournament winless in four games), getting outplayed by Finland and giving up a late goal in a victory over Slovakia that ended up costing Sweden in the standings.

The Americans come into the game well-rested after being off on Monday thanks to finishing preliminary play 3-0 and earning a bye into the quarterfinals.

USA vs Sweden history in Olympics men’s hockey

NHL players started going to the Olympics in 1998 (Nagano), and Sweden beat the USA 4-2 in the preliminary round at that event.

In 2002 (Salt Lake City), the two teams didn’t meet. In 2006 (Torino), Sweden defeated the USA 2-1 in preliminary round action.

In 2010 (Vancouver), the teams didn’t meet, nor did they meet in 2014 (Sochi). The NHL did not send its players to the Winter Olympics in 2018 and 2022.

Who are Sweden’s top stars?

Lucas Raymond had five points in the three preliminary games. Gabriel Landeskog is the team captain; he had one goal in group play. Elias Petterson came into the qualification game with a team-leading two goals. On the back end, the Swedes are led by Rasmus Dahlin, Erik Karlsson and Victor Hedman.

Sweden has relied on Jacob Markstrom and Filip Gustavsson in net.

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US speed skaters react to Italians’ taunt after race for Olympic gold

MILAN — The Team USA speed skaters who lost the gold medal to the Italians in men’s team pursuit did not see the taunt that went viral shortly after the race at the 2026 Winter Olympics Tuesday, Feb. 17 .

One of the Italians did the Steph Curry night-night celebration, as Team Italy put the American silver medalists to bed.

“No, we didn’t see that,’’ said Emery Lehman, who skated in the semifinals and final. But, he added with a laugh, “It’s better than getting two middle fingers from the Russians four years ago.’’

Lehman was referring to the 2022 Olympics, when Russian skater Daniil Dldoshkin extended both of his middle fingers after his team beat the United States in the semifinals of team pursuit.

Casey Dawson, another member of the U.S. team, said of the Italians’ Curry-inspired taunt, “Hey, they’re celebrating. They put in the work. Good for them.’’

It was a classy response from the Americans amid a crushing defeat. The three U.S. men have worked together for the past seven years in hopes of eventually becoming Olympic gold medalists. And they were the team to beat as the Milano Cortina Winter Games began.

But it all ended in defeat during an eight-lap race around the 400-meter track at Milano Speed Skating Stadium. Punctuated by the Steph Curry celebration as imitated by Italian speed skater Andrea Giovannini.

‘I’m a super fan of the NBA,’’ Giovannini later told reporters. “I love all the sports, but a lot of the NBA. Yesterday I told my roommate, ‘If I win tomorrow, I will make the night night.’

‘I did it, and I enjoyed it. Mainly because I’m a super fan of the NBA and Steph Curry.’

Perhaps it was mere coincidence when Ethan Cepuran, the third member of the U.S. team, arrived at a post-event press conference looking exhausted and said, “Just looking forward to a nap.’’

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Forehand thrills crowd and himself with big air trick, Olympic silver medal

LIVIGNO, Italy — Mac Forehand has a perfect name for a tennis player. 

Instead of a racquet, though, his instruments of athletic domination are skis. Coupled with a competitive fire, the 24-year-old emerged from the 2026 Winter Olympics as the rising star for the USA men’s free ski team. 

And with his first career Olympic medal.

Forehand won silver in the men’s big air competition Tuesday, Feb. 17 in thrilling style. With the top three locked in for the final three jumps of the night, Austria’s Matej Svancer jumped into second with a 96.00. Next up was Forehand, who’d need a huge trick to overtake Tormod Frostad, the Norwegian with last licks thanks to owning the highest score going into the final round.

Forehand crushed his final run with a 98.25 for his left nose-butter triple cork 2160 safety grab. Forehand had never done the trick but thought it’d be enough to move into first place. He really didn’t have many other options, he discussed with his coaches, even if he’d rather not do it.

So he landed a trick that has never been done in competition before – maybe ever, Forehand said. His second trick – nose butter triple cork 2160 safety grab – he learned in the second day of training. That’s when he first believed he had a shot at winning.

“Did the trick I kind of dreamt of,” Forehand said afterward.

The weight of the Olympic moment brought out the best in him. He wondered if that was why he landed it so purely. His coaches didn’t force him to do it. Like a lot snowboarding and free ski athletes, he’s equally concerned with pushing the sport and winning medals.

“It’s like, ‘Oh (expletive), I have to do this trick for myself,” he said.

He added: “It’s terrifying, to be honest. You don’t really know how it’s going to work. But you’ve played that moment back in your head so many times that you kind of know that you can go to your feet.”

Forehand realized making the extra half-revolution was possible based on the video he watched of his second trick.

“It’s definitely a scary moment,’ he said. ‘The crowd’s cheering. The pressure’s on.”

The final maneuver briefly moved him into first place before Frostad also went where no skier has ever gone in competition before with an original trick that, although it had 1.5 less revolutions than Forehand’s best, was a technical beauty and landed cleanly. His total score of 195.50, with a 98.50 on the last run, allowed him to leapfrog Forehand and to the top spot on the podium.

Forehand’s mother, Ann Marie, was overcome with emotion and buried her face between the cheek of Ray Forehand, her husband and Mac’s dad, after their son nailed his final trick.

“It was anybody’s contest,’ Ann Marie told USA TODAY Sports. ‘I’m just so proud of him for being here.’

Once the competition ended, and Forehand had congratulated his competitors – the brotherhood in free skiing goes beyond first, second or third place – he jogged to the family reunion area for an embrace with his parents.

“That was the most incredible skiing,’ Ray Forehand told USA TODAY Sports. ‘I’ve watched a lot skiing in my life. It was just unbelievable. The level of competition was beyond belief.

“Who gets a 98? It’s crazy.”

Their daughter, Savannah, had been in town for the slopestyle competition but returned to the U.S. for work this week. She joined the party via FaceTime and got a kick out of the NBC broadcast catching her brother planting a smooch on his girlfriend, Canadian moguls skier Maïa Schwinghammer. Ann Marie and Scwinghammer were crying.

“I dreamt about that for a long time,’ Forehand said of the moment.

Born in Connecticut, the family moved to Vermont for Mac to pursue his dream.

“It looks all glamorous. It’s not,’ Ray said. ‘It’s nitty-gritty, early mornings. But so well-deserved. I couldn’t be prouder.”

Snow continued falling during the competition, which was delayed 15 minutes for weather. A volunteer at the top of the jump cleared the takeoff area with a shovel, while another re-painted the blue lines skiers use for jump markers between each round of jumps.

After the first run, Forehand was tied in second with a 95. He then stomped his left nose-butter triple cork 1980 for another 95 points to remain in second place alone with a 190 total, 2.25 points behind first-place Frostad entering the final run.

The other U.S. free skiers, Troy Podmilsak and Konnor Ralph, finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

“It could have been flipped either way,” said Ralph, who added: “I’m stoked for Mac, of course, he’s been working so hard for this,”

Podmilsak thought Forehand deserved gold. He’s biased, of course.

“That was the hardest I’ve ever cheered for anything in my life when he landed that last one,” said Podmilsak, who described the slopestyle/big air Americans as ‘brothers.’ “I thought he was gonna win.

“You never really know what the judges are gonna do and which way they’re going to do with it.”

Forehand explained that he goes with his momentum to propel his rotations. Frostad jumps against that rotation, hence his fewer spins. Newcomers to the sport, those who don’t watch it every day – maybe every four years, if they happen to catch it – may struggle to understand.

He doesn’t care about the social-media comments that say, and will continue to claim, he was robbed of gold.

“I don’t care,’ he said. ‘I’ve seen it so many times before.”

Whether it was himself who was robbed, or he was the thief.

“We know so much about our sport,’ Forehand said. ‘We know what scores (high).’

And now Forehand knows what winning and Olympic medal feels like, too.

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